Signal means for elevators, etc.



Oct 9, 1928. I 1,686,693 w. H. GROVER El AL SIGNAL MEANS FOR ELEVATORS, ETC

Filed Aug. 8. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 M Md W, 725 0/79 8/" u/"s W53? Aggy Oct. 9, 1928.

w. H. GROVER ET AL v SI GNAL MEANS FOR ELEVATORS, ETC

Filed Aug.8. 1921 4She'ets-Sheet 2 INYENTEIR- Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,693

W. H. GROVER ET AL SIGNAL MEANS FOR ELEVATORS, ETC

File Aug, 1921 4 sheets -sheet Oct. 9, 1928.

W. H. GROVER ET AL SIGNAL MEANS FOR ELEVATORS, ETC

Filed Aug. 8. 1921 4 Sham-Shoat 4 J VENTUR.

Patented a, 9,1928. p

" UNITEiDcf PATENT fOFFlCE;

WILLIAM H. GROVER, oF MA MEE AnD CLARENCE namnimrrr AND ILLIA s,

t I a PooLE Y,- oF 'roLEno, 01x10.

SIGNAL mEAns Eon ELEVAT RS, Euro.

f mama. filed August 8, 1921. Serial No. 490,559.

This invention relates to signal systems and particularly to one for, use in connection with abank or batter. of elevators to designate tothe operator 0 each elevator when his car shouldfarrive at, how long it'should remain, and when. it should leave successive points in a run and the direction it should travel f, t i Instores, oflice buildings and other buildings employing banks of elevators, it isv customary to use whatis known asthe manual system of starting, With this system' a starter-stands on the main floor and dispatches the cars from such floor at certain intervals, and also in some cases,*by the'use of a system of flbuzzers, dispatches thecar from the topfloor; on thedown'run. This starting system, especially where five or more elevators are employed, 1s ineflicient and expensive in operation and thestarter has no control over an operator between the startingfloors. It is found that out ofthe diflerent starting combinations in a bank' of elevators, using the manual system of starting, the combination most'efiicient is to have part of theelevators going up while the othersare i doingdowni Acomplete analysis oif this ar-v rangement'of dispatch shows that on'many' fioors,'un der ideal conditions;ithe' traflic must frequently wait intervals that exceed 100 seconds, while at other times several cars will be; found at a floor at once, This system of starting, is also objectionable dueto the wasteenergy required to stop andjstart the L elevators and as most power is sold on a maximum demand basis, owners, are paying'a much higher maximum charge than is necessary. v. v

The object of our startingmeans is to overcome the above and'other objections incident 7 to the starting systems heretofore used,by

the provision of anautomatic starting system' which will successively indicate to each operator when his car should start from any floor whether up or down also when itshould be ateach succeeding floor during a complete round trip, so that an operator knows at any period in a trip where his car should be and whichdirection he should be going at such period, thus providing for a more eflicient running of the elevators and insuring more trips in l) he arrying a g eater numberxof passengers than is possible with the starting systems heretofore used, of which we are aware.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while in its'broader view of the mast-er switch and Operating means therefor. Fig. 4 is a face view of an indicating dialzof the system. Fig. 5 is a section thereof on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

with parts separated and parts removed, and

F g. 6 1s an elevat1on of the two bushing members secured within each ind cating openingofthe dial.

The signal system or means embodying, the

same consists essentially of three parts, a master switch, an indicatorfor each elevator ofa set, and a connecting board.

i The master switch in its preferred form comprises afcommutatingswitch having a circular series of spaced, contacts '10 of seg- ;mental form and insulated from each other;

the signals'being equi-distantly spaced and cooperating with the insulating vspacing thcrebetween to forma commntating ring 11.. A contact segment 10' is provided for each floor landing or elevator; stop of the building, less 2, figuring both the up and down trips, so that if the building has nine floors or as inthe case of the present illustration, eight floors and basement, sixteen segments are provided in the commutating ring. The reason that the. number of segments do not correspond'to thenumber of stops in attrip is that the first andlast floors each answer fortwo stops, in other words, 7

the firstfloori answers for the first stopon the up trip and the last stop on the down trip and the same with respect to the upper floor.

This switch has a power shaft 12" disposed centrally of its commutator ring and carrying an arm 13 for revoluble movements therewith and provided at its outer end with a brush or contact 1 t for riding on the contact segments when the arm is revolved. A circuit ring 15 is provided for the switch in concentric relation to the shaft 12 and a contact 16 on the arm 13 continually rides on the ring and is in closed circuit with the brush 1% through a wire or other suitable electrical connection 17. The brush 1* is adapted to remain in contact with each segment until after contact has been made with the succeeding segment. The shaft 12 connected by a train of reducing gears 18 to the shaft of a motor 19 or other Suitable source of power and is operated at any desired speed independently of the speed of operation of the elevators.

The indicating dial or element of the apparatus is provided with as many signal devices in the present instance. electric lamps, as there are stops for the elevator, or in other words, as there are segments 10 in the switch, and these lights or signaling devices ma have any desired arrangemenhbeing shown in the present instance. as circularly arranged. One of these indicators is disposed in each car of the set in convenient view of the operator;

The indicator employed in the present instance comprises a circular base member 20 having a circular series of openings :21 therein for receiving respective sockets 22 for electric lamps 23, ant. a top plate 24 sets over the base plate 20 and is provided therethrough with openings or windows 25 in register with the openings 21 of the base plate and for receiving the outer end portions of the lamps 23. Each opening 25 is provided with a transparent member 26 without the lamp 23 and provided with a numeral or designation indicating a particular floor or stop of the elevator, the stops in the illustration running from the basement floor up to the eighth floor and then down to the basement. as shown in Fig. 4. The transparent members 26 are held in position within the openings by inner and outer bushing members 27 and 28 respectively, the latter being of a to closely fit the opening and the former being longitudinally split and normallv ot a size larger than the opening. to require a compression of the bushing beitore be ng inserted in the opening. It is preferable to have either the transparent members 26 or the lamps 23 of white for the stops indicated during an upward run of an elevator. and to have the transparent members 26 or lamps 3 red for the stops indicated during a down trip ot'an elevator. thus establishing the element of direction at all times.

A connecting board is interposed between the indicator elements and the masterswitch and has'as many connecting blocks 29 as there are commutating segments 10 in the master switch, and each block is provided with as many connections ther are cars in the system. For instance. if there are seven cars in the system, each block will have provision for seven connections 30 as shown, with each connection of a block in circuit with a certain commutating segment 10 of the switch and with diti'erent signal lamp of each of the several elevators ot the sy tem. Each block has a d nation at its inner end cor responding with the designation of the commutating segment 10 with which it is connccted by a r(. sper.:tive wire 31, and each different connection 30 ct a blocl: has connection with a respective lamp of each indicator through a wire 32. The other side of each lamp of each indicator in connection through a common wiring with-a battery line 34-. leading to one side of a battery 35 or other source of electrical energy supply. The other side of the battery is connected by a lead 36 to the circuit ring 15 of the master switch. The connections 30 of some of the blocks '29 have reference letters at the sides thereof indicating the respective cars with which the connections are associated. Some of the cars and the wiring are omitted from the diagram, however, in order to avoid confusion.

In the operation of the signal system embodying the invention itis only necessary to close the battery circuit and start the motor 19 or other means which drives the timing arm 13 ot' the switch. If the arm 13 is in position for its brush 14k to have contact with the commut'ating signal B of the master switch. the battery circuit to the connecting block B will be closed and the connections in turn from such block to the respective lamps or in dicator means of the ditlerent cars of the bank will also be closed. If the arrangement is such that the cars should be approximately two tloors apart during a run. the car A will have its basement light on, the car B will have its second floor light on, the car C will have its 4th floor light on, the car D will have its 6th floor light on. and so on throughout all oi the elevators of the bank, thereby indicating to the operator in each elevator where his car should be when the connnutatin g segment B of the switch is in closed circuit. Asthe brush passes from the contact segment B to the segment 1. the indicator lights of the different elevators in circuit in scgn'ient B will go out and the next light in order on each elevator should then be on, by reason 01 the switch segment 1 being disposed in the closed circuit, and indicate that each elevator should be at or start for the next stop. It is preferable that the brush 1 will remain in contact with each segment unt l after ithas made contact with the, next see cent in order. as this facilitates the running oil. the car by the operator. tor after making a stop he can remain at such stop until the light for the next stop lit) indicated by the indicator in his car.v It will comes on which is the signal to leave the floor at which stopping and :proceed to the next floor. As the switch arm 13 continues its revolution the indicating of the stops foreach elevator in the bank is automatically efl'ected so that each operator canat all times tell where his car should be at any period in a run and can, therefore gauge the running of his elevator accordingly, so that his stops will correspond as nearly as possible to the stops beunderstood that if desired each elevator of a bankmay be provided with an individual switch and in somecases'thisis found desirable. I

It is evident that the signal systenrmay be regulatedto cause a faster orslower running of-the elevators as may bedesired, the change of speed beingraccomplished by changingthe speedof revolution of the switch arm 13.

It is foundin practice that with this system cars will not lap or runah'ead of schedule time during. runs that amore uniform and efficient running of all of. the cars of a bank is effected, and that more trips and the carryingoi a greater numberof passengers in a day is accomplished, and in addition the service of a starter is eliminated. It also prevents all carseither going up; or coming down at the same time. I

In some buildings it is desired. at certain times of a day tocut out the top fioor or several top floors, as for instance, where a restaurant or dining room is located on the top floor of the building and patrons are therefore traveling to and from such floor only during meal hours. In such case the commutating switch of the signal means may have twosets of contact segments, one including the segments for all of the floors and the other excluding the segments for the floors to be cutout. A wirin diagram-of a signal means includlngithis c angeable feature in association with one indicator unit is illustratedin Fig. 2. In this figure the outer set of segments corresponds in number to the full number of stops or floors for an elevator and the inner set of segments corresponds in number to the reduced number of floors-or stops for an elevator. Tllie segments of both sets are wired in the same manner to the indicator means as hereinbefore described, except that brushes 41 and 42, respectively, in engage ment with'outer and inner 'commut'ating rings 43 and 44, the segment of the outer ring being provided for the greater number of I stops and those of the inner ring for the lesser number of stops. The brushes 41 and 42 are in electrical connection, respectively, with circuit rings 45 and 46. The circuit ring 45 connected to a battery or source of electrical energy supply 47 through a wire 48,the other side of the battery being in connection through a wire 49 and switch 50 with the sides of the elevator signal devices 5lwhich are in common circuit. The other side of each si.g-

through a wire 52 with a battery or source of electrical energy supply 53, which is connected by a-wire 54 and the switch 50 to the common side of the signal devices 51. The switch 50 iscommon to both battery circuits and'when moved to close one circuit opens theother. i I

-Wewish it understood that our invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, asit is capable of embodiment in numerous forms without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described our. invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,- I

1. In a signal apparatus, a commutator having a single row of segments, a switch arm therefor, a branch block having a plurality of connected contacts, the contacts in each block being connected to a different contact on the commutator, a plurality of elevator cars, a plurality of vsignals on each car distinctive to each floor, and means for connecting one signal in each car to acontact on the same branch block.

2. Ina signal apparatus, a commutator having a single row of segments, a switch arm therefor, a branch block having a plu block.

3. In an elevator signal apparatus, a bank of elevators each operatin to stop at-a plurality of floors at each oi its up and down trips, si nalling means carried by each ele-.

vator including a signal for each of said floors for both the up and down trips, circuits for each of the signalling means and the signals thereof, switching means'including a plurality of segments. one for each of the floors of both the up and down trips,

and an arm engageable with the segments, a connecting board comprising a plurality of branch blocks each including a plurality of. connected contacts, the contacts of each group ill) being connected to a different segment of said switching means for permitting the selective connection ofanyof the contact blocks to any of the signals on the elevators in predetermined OI'LGlUtEHCl means for effecting uniform drive of the armiof the switching means.

In an elevator signal apparatus, a bank of elevators each operatin to stop at a plurality of floors at each, of its up and down trips, signalling means carried by each elevator includiiw a signal for each of said floors for both the up and down trips, circuits for each of the signalling means and the signals thereof, switching means including a plu rality of segmentsonc for each of the floors of both theup and down trips, and an arm engageable with the segments, a connecting board comprising a contact member for each segment, a plurality oi-branch blocks each including a plurality oi connected contacts, the contacts of each group being connected to a diiierent segment of said switching means for permitting the selective connection of any of the contact members to any of the signals on the elevators in predetermined ornesaeea der, and means for effecting uniform drive ot the arm of the switching; means.

5. Inv an elevator-signal apparatus, a bank of elevators.eaclroperating to stop at a plurality oii' floors during both itsup and down travel, signaling means carried by each elevator andiincluding a signal for eaclrfl-oor l or lioth thoiup and down travel, indicating the time at which the elevator should arrive at the respective floor, circuits for therespective signals, switchineans for controlling the various signals, and means coinprisingbranch blocks and connections for the circuits which may beselectively arranged to cut in or out the signals for one or more of said elevators and to redistribute the signals for the elevators which it'is then desired to operate.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names to, this specification.

WILLIAM H. GROVER. CLARENCE E. MERRITT. WILLIAM S. POOLEY. 

